Full House Take 2: Episode 15

We’re in the home stretch! That means a lot of loose ends are being tied up very quickly, which is both a good and a bad thing. Good because finally we’re over that Misunderstanding Hump Week. Bad because, well, rushing things is never a good thing, yunno?

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Part 1

It’s news to everyone in the room that Take Two will be going up against Kang-hwi (or, Only One), but CEO Kim thinks it’s a great idea. It’ll boost ratings too. Lee Joon is against the idea, as he thinks it’s an unfair match to put an ex-road manager up against Kang-hwi. Ha! Bum-soo is even more against it because one side will most definitely be hurt – as one will lose. He doesn’t want his boys or Kang-hwi going through it.

Take Two leaves first, and then Lee Joon sends Kang-hwi out so he can have a private chat with CEO Kim. That’s when Kang-hwi overhears Bum-soo assuring the boys that even if he didn’t reject the offer, Take Two would most definitely win. Kang-hwi alone can never beat them.

They get into the elevator, so Kang-hwi doesn’t hear the rest of Bum-soo’s explanation – which surprisingly is very logical. Bum-soo knows that Tae-ik and Kang-hwi are not strong enough to make a solo debut. That’s why he paired Tae-ik with Go-dong. Kang-hwi gets lonely easily, hence it’ll be harder for him to go alone.

Tae-ik wonders if Lee Joon set up the entire rivalry, as Kang-hwi didn’t seem to know about this competition. He’s exactly correct – Lee Joon had conspired with CEO Kim to make this face-off happen. He just pretended he knew nothing about it to save face. Lee Joon assures CEO Kim that he will make the show a big hit – he’s never failed on delivering his promises. He will do whatever it takes to make sure both teams end up on the show “We’re Rivals.”

Much to Lee Joon’s delight, Kang-hwi wants to go along with the show and do everything he can to win. He wants to prove that he can beat Take Two alone, with the best team that is available.

Bum-soo still can’t get Take Two on any other music show because “Big Top” and “Wonder Boys” are making their big comebacks. PFFFFFFT. Tae-ik wonders if they should perhaps get on “We’re Rivals” since they don’t have any other shows.

At that moment, Lee Joon contacts Bum-soo, and he and Tae-ik meet the dastardly boss for lunch. He claims to want to help them for old time’s sake: “We’ll go on CEO Kim’s show for you.” Wow – so magnanimous. He explains that Kang-hwi wants it more, but Tae-ik refuses to bite.

Lee Joon taunts them – are they scared of losing? They do tend to run away from their problems. Tae-ik: “Then what if I win?” He wagers that if Take Two wins he’ll get Full House back. If Take Two loses, Tae-ik will return to work for U Entertainment.

Tae-ik agrees readily, without Bum-soo’s approval. It unsettles Bum-soo a lot, but Tae-ik is confident that they will win. Bum-soo’s impressed – is Tae-ik becoming a better person?

Advertising and articles come out about the upcoming battle, and people are abuzz over who to support. The only person who doesn’t seem to know is Man-ok. She’s busy packing Tae-ik’s clothing, and Se-ryung demands that Man-ok clean her dusty room. Man-ok refuses – didn’t Se-ryung tell her to concentrate on only being a stylist? Therefore maid service is not part of her responsibilities. Se-ryung: “What if I have you pack up my clothing then?” Man-ok: “I’m Kang-hwi’s stylist, not yours.”

Ticked off, Se-ryung points out that Man-ok’s “sense of style” is so lacking that Kang-hwi just might lose in “We’re Rivals.” It’s the first time Man-ok’s heard of this game, and it splits her heart to two.

Meanwhile both teams are preparing their songs, both sides wanting to create something wholly original and not heard on the album. Bum-soo emphasizes getting a song that will win the hearts of the fans, which means that they’ll be working with Sang-dae again. As for Lee Joon, he assures Kang-hwi that he’s got a songwriter in mind – a hidden gem who has kept low-key because he wants to debut as a singer too.

Don’t tell me… it’s Sang-dae?

Ga-ryung asks Man-ok to visit her office with Reporter So and No-ra, as they plan to get the scoop on where Kang-hwi was in China. No-ra shows the picture of the Won Mansion on her phone, and demands to know if Man-ok knows where it is. Man-ok kindly asks if she could take a closer look… and grabs the phone, and deletes the photo.

Man-ok is furious with Ga-ryung. Does being a reporter mean that they must invade the privacy of the idols they supposedly admire? Reporters are supposed to write reports, not spread gossip. Besides, the boys have it tough already as they pore over the reporters’ articles. She’ll give Ga-ryung a week to undo the mess in the press.

That evening, Ga-ryung arrives outside the gym drunk, also ticked off that Man-ok has made such a demand of her. She spots Tae-ik sitting in the bench outside, and he immediately recognizes the threat. Unfortunately he can’t get away; she stops him from entering the gym, as she wants to know if Man-ok really brought him here.

Ga-ryung laughs – how could a friend betray her so by being around the Take One boys so much? Tae-ik runs away from the gym, and thankfully Ga-ryung gets caught by Grandpa for making a ruckus.

Ga-ryung asks if Man-ok is inside, and Grandpa says that she went to stay with a friend for a while. Ga-ryung figures that “that friend” must be Kang-hwi. She starts venting to Grandpa, saying that despite their close relationship, Man-ok lied to her and became a stylist for Take One. And on top of that, she got into a fake engagement with Tae-ik!

Man-ok is fast asleep, and at first she thinks Grandpa’s voice calling her name is all a dream. But she wakes up in shock, and finds Grandpa and Ga-ryung inside Full House. Grandpa’s yells wake Kang-hwi as well, and he jumps at the sight of Grandpa. I’m surprised Se-ryung hasn’t woken up or come down, as she could have made a bigger fit.

Grandpa demands to know what she’s doing in a man’s house, and orders her to pack her bags and come home. He won’t even listen to Kang-hwi’s excuses for her. But Man-ok refuses to leave. She promises that she didn’t do anything to embarrass Grandpa, and that she is sorry for not having told him the truth.

Well, if that’s the case, Grandpa refuses to let her back in to Man Ok Gymnasium ever again.

Man-ok returns to her room, sad that she disappointed her Grandpa. She finally answers her phone, and Tae-ik yells at her for not picking up earlier. Man-ok tells him that Grandpa already came by, and that she’s fine. The truth had to come out sooner or later. She adds, “Are your preparations going well for the show?”

The next day, Kang-hwi plays an instrumental version of “Baby Why,” thinking of Man-ok the entire time. It’s a song that won’t end up in the final album, as Lee Joon didn’t like it. But Kang-hwi likes it so much that he’s hoping words can be put to the song. One of the music producers tells him that it’s a waste of time, since the song won’t be published. But if Kang-hwi wants, he ought to try writing the words to it himself.

Meanwhile, Take Two and Bum-soo visit Sang-dae to hear a rough cut of the song. The boys are excited, and Sang-dae tells them the song will be ready in a couple of days.

A car pulls up outside Sang-dae’s studio – it’s Lee Joon. And he sees Take Two exiting the studio. “What are they doing here?” I bet things are not going to end well for our boys…

Back in the gym, Go-dong interrupts Tae-ik’s writing session in the tent to tell him to do his share of the chores. Tae-ik tries to fake his way out of doing the dishes, but Go-dong won’t let him go. Besides Grandpa won’t be happy.

Tae-ik grudgingly goes to wash the dishes, and Go-dong becomes curious over the notepad Tae-ik was writing in. He reads the lyrics, which are sappy as they talk about a girl’s sweet smile… Go-dong reaches the end of the song and reads “Jang Man.” Wait – so Tae-ik’s in love with Stylist Jang?! Haha – I love the shocked look on his face.

Man-ok is actually busy in her room, sewing up some clothing, and starts hitting the cat doll on the head for being so mean to her. She hugs it, putting the cat against her neck.

Like some cosmic connection, Tae-ik gets itchy around his neck area. Heh! Take Two and Bum-soo arrive at Sang-dae’s place again (and I’ll assume several days have passed), only to find that the door is locked.

Bum-soo calls up Sang-dae: where is he? Sang-dae apologizes profusely as he gave the song away to someone else. Bum-soo figures out that Lee Joon must have had something to do with it. Sang-dae hangs up then, which is basically a confirmation of his guilt. They head over to U Entertainment studio and Tae-ik spots Kang-hwi outside the building.

He grabs Kang-hwi by the shirt collar. “You want to win that badly!?” he yells.

Part 2

Lee Joon offers Sang-dae a contract to get the song he wrote. He promises Sang-dae that he will make him a star. Poor Sang-dae for being a sucker and believing Lee Joon.

Kang-hwi insists that he didn’t steal anything from Tae-ik, until he realizes that Lee Joon must be back up to his tricks. He confronts Lee Joon, who’s so happy that he’s gotten such a good song for him. Kang-hwi: “Did this song belong to Tae-ik?” Lee Joon says it doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t; the most important thing is that Kang-hwi (and by extension Lee Joon) must win. If Kang-hwi were completely healthy, he wouldn’t have to go to these lengths, but since he’s not Lee Joon must think of the worst case scenario. “If you leave as a loser,” Lee Joon shouts, “no one will remember you!” Doesn’t Kang-hwi want to leave his final stage on a high?

Man-ok goes searching for Kang-hwi, only to find Chaton and the music sheets to Sang-dae’s song. She recognizes it and immediately contacts Bum-soo, who’s still annoyed at Sang-dae. He confirms that Sang-dae gave the song to Lee Joon instead, but then advises her to stop contacting him because she’s worried about Tae-ik. Nothing personal, but he doesn’t want to deal with U Entertainment people, and they are technically rivals. He wants her to just stay by Kang-hwi’s side and help support him until it all ends.

Tough love – but it always works.

Bum-soo returns to the gym and drinks a few shots with Go-dong, despairing over their fate. Go-dong tries to make Bum-soo feel better by offering to sing. He takes out a guitar and strums a tune, making up words as he goes along. Suddenly, Tae-ik comes out of his tent: “Where’s that song from?” Go-dong admits that he just wrote this song by himself. Bum-soo throws peanuts at Go-dong: “You should’ve told me sooner!” They have a talented composer in their group! Then Go-dong suggests that Tae-ik write the lyrics, since he saw his lyrical confession to Man-ok.

Tae-ik resists at first, especially annoyed that Go-dong went through his book. But they have no time! Bum-soo promises to pay him back for the lyrics soon, and they all hug-attack him until he relents. They start bringing in instruments and recording the song in the gym, even getting breathing training from Grandpa. Meanwhile, Man-ok finishes up the suit jacket she was making and hugs the mannequin, imagining it as Tae-ik.

That evening, a package arrives for Tae-ik, and they’re all surprised to see that it’s from an unknown fan who happens to know that Tae-ik is at the gym. There’s a card, which only says, “Wishing for Take Two’s successful debut. I hope you both will wear this on stage. P.S. It’s 100% cotton.” They take out the costume, and it’s two suit jackets that are gilded with gold sequins. Go-dong admires the craftsmanship, as it is tailored perfectly for them, and Tae-ik takes out the additional photo in the card. It’s of the kitty and the scooter. D’aww… Tae-ik’s touched over Man-ok’s handmade work.

It’s finally the day of the show. Fans line up outside in two factions – one side for Take Two, one side for Only One. (Not unlike the famous showdown of fans in Answer Me 1997.) Inside, the two rivals meet as well, trash talking all the way. (Or more like, Lee Joon doing all the trash talking.) Tae-ik resolves to show Lee Joon that he can’t stop them, and then walks off first. Man-ok’s glance lingers at Tae-ik, but she eventually follows Kang-hwi to his dressing room.

The show begins, with the MC giving fans a preview of the history between Tae-ik and Kang-hwi, and pumping up the anticipation. Man-ok assists Kang-hwi with last minute preparations on his costume, as he’s the one who’s going to perform first. Suddenly, Kang-hwi hears a ringing noise in his ear, and falls back in shock. His vision is gone. And I mean permanently gone.

He goes blind now? Man-ok freaks out, wondering if they can postpone it a little longer. Kang-hwi grabs her – they can’t postpone it. He doesn’t want her to tell Lee Joon either, and asks to be left alone.

Meanwhile, Tae-ik is feeling nervous as well, so he goes out to the balcony for some fresh air. There, he notices Man-ok, crouched down and crying. He asks what’s wrong, and finally Man-ok caves…

Tae-ik storms into Kang-hwi’s room, not caring that Kang-hwi wants to be left alone. Kang-hwi is trying to stay calm, trying to will himself to not be stressed out so that his vision can come back – even if it’s temporary.

He opens his eyes again… but his vision is not back. He flips the coffee table, crying over his eyes, not realizing that Tae-ik saw the whole thing. Man-ok rushes to Kang-hwi’s side, and he grabs on to her, crying into her shoulder like a child. He can’t see! He can’t see!

Tae-ik is stunned – as he can’t register the truth. Even though Man-ok told him on the balcony, he didn’t believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. Tae-ik falls in the hallway, crying. “What the hell… How did this happen?” he yells, furious at no one for Kang-hwi’s sake. I knew it: Bromance trumps hair and women.

Kang-hwi insists that he can still do the show, even though Man-ok tries to convince him that he shouldn’t go. Tae-ik, somewhat more composed, tells him not to give up like this. Good thing Kang-hwi can’t see his quivering lip… He grabs Kang-hwi’s hand and puts an earpiece into his hand. Tae-ik will use this to help Kang-hwi perform. Though they’re rivals, they must remember the most important thing: they promised this comeback for the fans.

Kang-hwi waits by the wings as Tae-ik changes out of his costume and situates himself somewhere in the crowd. Using the earpiece, Tae-ik guides Kang-hwi to the microphone onstage. He will help Kang-hwi, watching from the crowds, throughout the performance.

Thankfully his song is a pop ballad, so it doesn’t require too many dance moves. But Lee Joon’s face darkens with every word sung, and he looks in the crowds to see the disguised Tae-ik… Even Bum-soo is surprised by the song selection. The song is “Baby Why,” which is pretty awesome and fits Park Ki-woong’s voice.

After the song ends, Tae-ik says, “You’re great, Won Kang-hwi.” *squeak*

Backstage, Bum-soo frantically searches for Tae-ik, and Go-dong’s nervous that Tae-ik never came back from his little breather. Man-ok assures them that Tae-ik will meet them onstage; Go-dong just needs to go up and trust that Tae-ik will be there. The song begins, and Tae-ik is there to start the song. It’s “Hello Hello,” written by Take Two.

Go-dong is well received by the fans, and the two are perfectly synchronized in their choreography. Their song is decidedly more upbeat than “Baby Why” but just as awesome. This is gonna be hard!

As Kang-hwi and Man-ok wait backstage for the judging, Lee Joon assails Kang-hwi – that was not Sang-dae’s song! Why did Kang-hwi risk everything on this other song – which turned out to be the one that he wrote himself? Kang-hwi didn’t want to sing a song that “didn’t suit him.” Lee Joon warns him – if he doesn’t get the result he wants, Kang-hwi will pay dearly.

What a bully.

Kang-hwi and Take Two return onstage for the judging, where the fans will vote using their little remote button on which performance they liked better. A countdown begins… BUT WHO IS THE WINNER?

Comments:

*Flips table.*

THAT’S MY CLIFFHANGER? WHAT THE HELL? I mean, ok fine – even if it may be clear to others or me who won based on predictability (and please do not spoil it for others who may not have seen the next episode), I’m STILL mad as heck about the cliffhanger. Why? Because I don’t want either to win, and I want the result to validate that! Both of them had good, catchy songs that I enjoyed and after that moment of bromance, I just want everyone to be happy. Can’t we all be happy?!

Anyways – it’s about time that Tae-ik found out. I was getting really mad that no one would tell him about Kang-hwi’s condition. It’s a little strange how they shot his “revelation” scene, as they made it seem like he knew about Kang-hwi’s condition because of Man-ok, but then when they showed him confronted with it in the dressing room he looked like he found out about it then. But aside from the weird editing, I’m touched that Tae-ik took the news terribly hard.

It’s a little all too fortuitous that Go-dong and Tae-ik ended up being such great composers and lyricists, but considering we’re nearing the end, a lot of threads need to be tied up. Se-ryung is getting less and less time on the show, which is good (I don’t need her to be our little expositional guide), but also bad because I think she’ll have a rushed ending. Lee Joon is still going through a downward spiral of sorts, and I swear, he needs to die a fiery death befitting of his shouty character. (Doesn’t U Entertainment have other artists aside from Take One/Only One?!)

December 14, 2012 at 8:09 PM

December 14, 2012 at 8:20 PM

UNREGISTERED

Random question: What's with hair clips - is that the thing a guy buys a girl before couples rings? Is there really a significance to relationship hair clips or is it purely a kdrama thing? It both drives me crazy and is curiously endearing.

December 15, 2012 at 9:07 AM

UNREGISTERED

So has Korea never heard of Ray Charles of Stevie wonder? It is possible to have a successful singing career without the gift of sight. I get that this is a horrible personal tragedy for Kang-Hwi but I don't understand the "I'll never be able to sing again" stakes. I get that he's an Idol and there are certain standards people expect from him but will the fans abandon him because he's blind. I even understand that it will harder to coordinate and choreograph appearances and performances... but the life and death drama that they are trying to sell me... don't buy it.

Heck, we let Dream High convince us that a deaf singer could win a Grammy but an otherwise healthy blind kid can't put hold together an already thriving singing career?

December 15, 2012 at 12:09 PM

UNREGISTERED

Double agreement! If anything I'd think fans would rally behind him. And since they use so much choreography anyway, they could build in stuff where he's always guided by backup dancers. It could actually become a pretty cool concept.

December 15, 2012 at 11:52 AM

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Yes YES! Bromance trumps Hair and women.. HECK YEAH!!

I totally loved this episode.. the Hello Hello episode was so hot, it got me fan girling and screaming.. (and up to this point, I was watching the show for fun and laughter, not exactly for the boys..)

December 15, 2012 at 11:53 AM

December 15, 2012 at 12:12 PM

UNREGISTERED

Finally the bromance I'd been waiting for! I really do think last week's episodes were a waste, unfortunately. The misunderstanding felt pretty pasted on and I would have preferred Tae-ik to find out in China and then do his best to help behind the scenes. (Maybe have to convince Kang-hwi to accept his help.)

But! I'll take what I can get and his talking Kang-whi though his performance was awesome. :)

December 16, 2012 at 9:29 AM

UNREGISTERED

I agree about last week's episodes, especially after seeing how Tae-Ik reacted. There wasn't even a twinkle of a thought that TI wouldn't help KH out.
But, you know, we have to have conflict between our romance/bromance instead of binding them together against the external conflict.